Insurance company admits 'error' led to young driver receiving warning
AN insurance company has admitted that a warning given to a young Cumbrian driver, that could have led to a £100 fine, was an 'error' and based on 'outdated' road speed data.
18-year-old George, who asked not to include his surname, renewed his insurance through a motor insurance agency, MyPolicy, in April after a 'successful' first year of driving.
As part of his insurance, George's car has been fitted with a 'black box' telemetry device which records his driving and provides him with journey scores through a mobile phone app.
Days after renewing his insurance, George received a 'high risk journey warning' which stated that he had driven 50 per cent over the speed limit on a section of the A595 between Cockermouth and the Papcastle roundabout and was told that if he repeated this 'offence' two more times he would face a £100 penalty and could see his insurance cancelled.
With the help of his father, Andrew, George was able to ascertain that the section of road where he had received the warning was subject to a temporary 40mph speed limit in 2022 whilst United Utilities carried out work, a fact the pair said they have had confirmed by Cumberland Council's Highways Department.
The road has since reverted to the national speed limit.
However, MyPolicy justified their position and the 'high risk journey warning' by sending George and Andrew a Google Street View picture from 2022 that showed that the road had a 40mph speed limit.
"George is a very careful driver and revelled in getting high scores on the driver app, usually 8, 9, or 10 out of 10," Andrew said.
"He regularly shared his scores with us and would get frustrated if his score dropped below 9/10.
"On April 7, he received a 'High Risk Journey Warning' stating he had a score of -8 and if he repeated the 'offence' two more times, he would face a £100 penalty and could have his insurance cancelled. We immediately asked MyPolicy to clarify.
"They stated that he had driven 50 per cent over the speed limit on a stretch of the A595.
"We tried to explain that there was a temporary speed limit to MyPolicy, but they insisted their data was correct and refused to revoke the warning.
"They sent a Google Street View of the stretch showing a temporary 40mph sign. The picture was dated 2022.
"Bear in mind that he had the same black box, same broker and had driven the same stretch of road on numerous occasions during the previous 12 months, all with high scores and no issues at all."
On Wednesday, April 16, MyPolicy agreed to revoke the 'high risk journey warning' and agreed to 'put a note' on their system about George's journeys on the A595 to ensure he did not receive another erroneous warning.
However, on the first weekend of May, George received another warning for driving on the same stretch of the A595.
"Our concern is that other young drivers will be penalised due to incorrect data being used by these companies," Andrew said.
"Relying on three-year-old Google Maps images is bonkers! It could result in some young drivers having their policy cancelled or being issued with £100 penalties, which is grossly unfair.
"This also reflects their lack of understanding of the issues faced by young people living in rural areas. George relies on his car to see friends and, in the future, to go to work.
"He has worked hard to buy and run his own car, but this whole episode just illustrates how young drivers are discriminated against and the insurance companies have them over a barrel."
In a statement provided to the News & Star, MyPolicy stated that the 'high risk journey warning' has been withdrawn after 'the identification of an error' caused by 'outdated road speed information'.
A MyPolicy spokesperson said: "At MyPolicy, we are committed to promoting safer driving and protecting young drivers who, unfortunately, are statistically involved in some of the most serious road collisions, often resulting in life-changing injuries or fatalities.
"Our telematics policies are designed to encourage responsible driving behaviour by providing real-time feedback and consequences that help reduce risk.
"Before issuing a speed warning to a customer, we use a two-stage verification process: speeds are first checked automatically against a national speed limit database, then manually verified using a second data source and online mapping tools.
"In this instance, both sources independently reflected outdated road speed information, which is extremely rare.
'Importantly, our appeals process worked as intended – the customer's right to challenge led to the warning being withdrawn and the identification of an error in the road speed data.
"We have reached out to our telematics provider to inform them of this issue and update their information, to ensure there is no further impact on other drivers on this road.
"The overall handling of the customer's complaint is subject to an internal review, in accordance with our complaints handling process.
"The findings of this review and any further action are being communicated directly to the customer.
"Our commitment remains the same: to support young drivers in becoming safer on the roads and to deliver a service that is fair, responsive and transparent."
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